1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of tripods which are used to support photographic equipment. In particular, the present invention relates to the field of tripods wherein the legs of the tripod can be folded into a multiplicity of sections to facilitate transport and thereafter have the legs converted to an opened condition for use to support a camera or other photographic equipment at a given location.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, the subject of photographic equipment tripod legs and related tripod leg support systems which can be folded for easy transport and then converted to an assembled condition for use at a location are known in the prior art. The following 7 patents are relevant to the field of the present invention:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,700 issued to William M. Lambert on Jun. 3, 1975 for “Collapsible Structural Member” (hereafter the “Lambert patent”);
2. U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,756 issued to Eugene A. Kester et al. on Dec. 15, 1987 for “Shock Corded Tripod Stand” (hereafter the “Kester patent”);
3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,638 issued to Kevin R. Davis on Jun. 19, 1990 for “Collapsible Tripod Stool” (hereafter the “Davis patent”);
4. U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,996 issued to Milton Kalish on Aug. 16, 1994 for “Portable Easel System” (hereafter the “Kalish patent”);
5. U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,553 issued to Martin F. Cooper on Feb. 3, 1998 for “Portable Stand” (hereafter the “Cooper patent”);
6. U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,974 issued to Michael Rellinger on Mar. 20, 2001 for “Portable Easel With Adjustable Board Support” (hereafter the “Rellinger patent”);
7. U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,084 issued to Daniel Richard Goerdt et al. on Aug. 28, 2001 for “Transportable Support Apparatus For Portable Computers”).
The Lambert patent discloses the concept of having a multiplicity of interconnected members which are connected by a flexible strand which in this case is described in Column 2 Line 39 and 40 as “a wire rope of a particular length”. Specifically, the patent discloses:                “A collapsible structural member comprises a plurality of elongated inner elements in spaced end-to-end relationship and attached together by a flexible strand, and a plurality of elongated open-ended outer elements coaxial with the inner elements and positioned in alternating relationship therewith. The outer elements are longer than the distance between adjacent pairs of inner elements and are slidable with respect thereto between extended positions engaging the ends of an adjacent pair of inner elements whereby a substantially rigid member is created, and retracted positions engaging only one inner element, whereby the structural member can be collapsed and folded. Limiting stops are provided in the interior of the outer elements, and means for locking the outer elements in the extended position is provided.”        
The Kester patent discloses a photographic light stand which embodies the concept of having a tripod grouping of legs which can have at least two components which are held together by a shock cord which is comparable to a bungee cord so that when in the open condition they can immediately open. The device is also used to hold photographic lights.
The Kalish patent discloses a portable easel system which includes the concept of having a multiplicity of leg sections which are retained together and then can open and expand to a full leg with an internal elastic cord. Referring to Column 4 Line 51 through Line 60 the patent states:                “Returning now to FIG. 2, shock cord 43 resiliently connects the three segments of the right leg. Shock cord is a cord composed of a plurality of resilient strands, encased in a protective smooth sheath that allows the cord to slide easily. The shock cord then transverses adjustable cord lock 47. Stop knot 49 at the shock cord upper end keeps cord lock 47 from slipping off the end; this applies to every stop knot contiguous with a cord lock in this patent application.”        
The Cooper patent discloses:                “In a combination stand and rack releasably secured atop the stand, the stand is convertible between an extended use position and a collapsed storage position. The rack includes a hollow spine for storage of the stand in the collapsed storage position. The stand comprises a main telescopic post and a plurality of support legs all of which are secured to a common housing. The main post extends upwardly from the housing and the legs are attached to the housing by connectors which are bendable through an angle of more than 90° such that the legs fold upwardly beside the main post in the storage position and unfold downwardly from the housing to the use position.”        
The Redllinger patent discloses a portable easel with an adjustable board support.
The patent discloses:
                “A portable easel with adjustable board support which has a plurality of legs pivotally joined together by a head, the legs of which may be selectively spread apart when set up as an easel and folded together when collapsed, each leg composed of multiple interlocked sections biased together when in extended position but which may be manipulated for separation and folding into a bundle one section against another section for storage and transport, and a board support mounted on at least one leg which may be selectively adjustably moved to a desired position on any of the sections and moved against the leg on which it is mounted for storage and transport and extended away from the leg for holding a display on the easel when set up.”        
The Goerdt patent discloses a transportable support apparatus for portable computers.
The patent discloses:
                “A support apparatus for a portable computer, comprising:        (a) a plurality of legs; and        (b) a pedestal configured to support a portable computer, the pedestal further configured to removably couple with the plurality of legs to arrange the legs in an operative position to support the pedestal on a supporting surface, the pedestal including at least one storage compartment configured to store at least one of the plurality of legs in a storage position.”        
The Davis patent discloses a collapsible tripod stool. Specifically, this patent discloses:                “A collapsible tripod stool for bodily and tangible item support is described. The triangularly shaped seat is supported by a plurality of tubular legs, which may be fused, glued, or otherwise connected to the corners of the seat. In one embodiment, telescoping legs are comprised of upper, central, and lower sections, the central leg section having two different diameters to prevent section contact, and being case as one piece to eliminate welded surfaces. The central leg sections are attached to a triangularly-shaped central pivot joint by threaded members to prevent mobilization of the legs with respect to one another. The telescoping legs are angled to maximize ground surface contact and further stabilize the tripod stool of the present invention. In another embodiment, tubular legs are comprised of upper and lower sections which connect to one another and are coupled together by an elastic cord within each leg. The leg sections are conveniently detached at their approximate midpoints and folded together in a compact bundle. A pivot join comprises fabric straps secured to each leg and centrally joined to one another.”        
In prior art tripods, the sections of each leg telescope into an adjacent leg with the lowermost section telescoping into the next section and the next section telescoping into a third section etc. until all the legs telescope into the uppermost section. There is a connection which fastens one section relative to another when the legs are moved from the telescoped position to the open position. However, to open and fasten each leg section to another so that the three legs can remain straight involves a lot of time consuming effort. In many cases, there is a requirement for a photographer to instantly have the tripod converted from the folded condition or telescoped condition to the in-use condition so that a shot which may only be available for a few seconds can be made with a camera. Accordingly, the time that it takes to transform a conventional tripod from the closed condition to the open condition is unacceptable where it is necessary to have a quick creation of a fully assembled tripod so that a camera can be used within a matter of seconds to take the appropriate shot. A significant disadvantage of the prior art is that the leg sections are interconnected to each other in a manner which requires each section to be affixed to an adjacent section by means such as a threaded collar which threads from one section to another or a connecting member. Either way, the assembling of the telescope is a time consuming process which is unacceptable for a photographer who needs to be able to have the telescope assembled within seconds so that a photograph can be quickly taken. Therefore, there is a significant need to improve this major deficiency in prior art tripods.
Although the prior art does disclose the general concept of having tripod legs which can be converted from a folded condition to an in-use condition, there is still a significant need for a device that enables the conversion of the tripod legs to the folded condition to the in-use condition to be achieved within a matter of seconds for quick and ready use at a remote location so that a piece of photographic equipment can be quickly mounted to the tripod and placed into the in-use condition.